Paul Anderson

On show in 'The Design Lounge', Paul Anderson’s earthy, idiosyncratic work first came to light in the late 1980’s when - after a last-minute inclusion at London’s Decorex - a number of influential designers and stylists discovered its ability to enchant space in a way that was quirky as well as almost archaeological. Tricia Guild, Piet Oudolf, Hannah Peschar, Andrew Lawson and Francesco Boglione were among the first to commission works for specific settings.

“So now, having spent years making really hefty figurative Daybeds and Tables out of relic oak beams and boards, and being primitive at all costs, I find my style is turning quieter and more oriental. It’s partly because a number of my chief fascinations - visible repair, asymmetry, imperfection and so on - fit so well there.
In this seat, details such as the two very pronounced repairs made to the delicate back panel, teeth marks left by the original chainsawing on some edges, and the ends of pegs left proud of the surface: these are what draw you in if you have that kind of curiosity. And those two front uprights left long and adrift, looked nicely implausible on paper, then risky in reality, dynamic and kind of vulnerable at the same time. It’s where I seem to have got to.”